Pharmacy Over the Counter Eyeglasses

If you are squinting to read this text or viewing it from afar, you likely need some eye glasses. It happens to everyone at some point, even those who have boasted perfect vision for years. Age creeps up, and you slowly slide into Presbyopia, a condition in which you cannot focus on fine or close print. Pharmacy over the counter eyeglasses have become a $300 million + industry as the general population ages and requires a bit of vision enhancement.

Wearing glasses has become somewhat of a fashion trend, and the aging baby boomers are embracing that trend. You can find many styles suitable for a number of different tastes. Just like with prescription glasses, you have a choice of frames in metal or plastic, along with a variety of colors, a favorite being black. Half and full styles of these non-prescription glasses are also available.

Choosing to wear corrective eyewear from over the counter is a gamble. Only a certified trained specialist is capable of determining the proper lens strength for a person. Generally a person’s eyes’ refraction power is different and needs to have totally different prescriptions. It is recommended a person have a full eye examination to determine good eye health and if a prescription is required to correct vision properly.

While pharmacies have been the primary place most people have purchased over the counter eyeglasses, these spectacles can also be found in grocery stores, mass merchandisers and other retail outlets. However, prescription eyeglass websites will also carry them, and in fact may be an optimal choice. Online stores will often have a wider selection of frame styles in both the full and half glass versions. Because over the counter glasses are a lot less expensive than prescription versions, you could buy a few pairs in different colors and styles to coordinate with your wardrobe.

Non-prescription glasses are not one size fits all. There are a number of different strengths, depending on the severity of your vision problem. Eyeglass strength is delineated by diopters, a unit of measurement describing the refractive power of the lenses. The higher the diopter number, the more the eyeglass lenses bend or refract light.

If you are unsure of what strength you need and prefer to not seek assistance from a trained professional for your eyewear, you will have to try on different eyeglasses and attempt to read the fine print of something you wish to preview. Hold the reading material at a comfortable level and distance, and then try on different diopter strength glasses until the print is visible and in clear focus. Once you determine the right strength, you can then select any number of colors and styles of over the counter glasses with that same strength.

Some people may require two pairs of non-prescription eyeglasses in different strengths for different tasks. For example, if your hobby is needlepoint, you need to see extremely close up, due to the attention to detail. However, working on the computer or reading music to play an instrument means you are a little further away from the reading material, requiring a different strength of eyeglasses from the needlepoint.

When you find that the highest strength diopter for your over the counter eyeglasses is not quite providing the clarity you need for deciphering reading material and up-close tasks, it is time to head to your optometrist for an eye exam. With a prescription, you have many more choices such as (Calvin Klein eyeglass frames) and other designer eyewear.